RCMP renew plea for tips in effort to solve deadly 2016 hit and run east of Edmonton

Nearly 27 months since a 28-year-old pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run collision near Sherwood Park, Alta., the RCMP issued a new plea for help from the public as they try to find the person responsible.

“If you were travelling in the area of Highway 21 and Township Road 520 on the evening of Dec. 28, 2016, police are asking you to contact the Strathcona County RCMP detachment,” police said in a news release on Thursday.

Mounties were called to the scene of the collision at 3:46 a.m. on the day it happened. Someone reported finding a man’s body on Highway 21 near Township Road 520, police said.

The victim has since been identified as Phoenix Taypayosatum of Camrose, Alta. Police said he had been hitchhiking from Edmonton to Camrose.

Police say Phoenix Taypayosatum had been hitchhiking from Edmonton to Camrose when he was hit by a vehicle on Dec. 28, 2016. He was last seen alive on Highway 21 near Township Road 520 at approximately 3:30 a.m.

“[An] RCMP collision reconstructionist determined that Phoenix was struck by a vehicle travelling northbound on Highway 21,” the RCMP said. “Strathcona County RCMP greatly appreciate the members of the public who have assisted in this ongoing investigation by providing valuable information.”

The victim’s sister also pleaded for new tips from the public on Thursday.

“All our family wants is closure and it’s not about justice at this time,” Phoenix’s sister, Autumn Taypayosatum, said in a news release. “It’s been a long two years and we just want to know what happened to Phoenix so we can have some peace and closure.

“We would like to encourage whoever did this, or anyone who may have seen something, to please come forward and contact the police. Our family loved Phoenix, we miss him and we will continue to pray for him every day.”

Anyone with information about what happened is asked to call the Strathcona County RCMP detachment at 780-467-7741 or their local police department. Tips can also be anonymously submitted to Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477 or online.